Explosions: More fun than a music video.

You know, I never realized it till now, but they're right. I don't think I'm a cool guy... I like watching explosions...

Balance

I had an interesting experience last night that has got me thinking.  We were sitting in the living room watching a movies when someone knocked on the door.  Thinking it was the neighbors, I jumped up and answered .  It was a nervous looking lady wearing a hoody pulled tight around her head.  She looked to be hooked on something that doesn't do nice things to a body.  She mumbled something about how she was walking up the street going to another street and she needed a match or a lighter for a cigarette.  I was kind of confused, said, "Okay!" and shut the door in her face.  I ran to my room to grab some matches, went back to the door, and handed her some matches.  I said, "They're strike anywhere!" and shut the door in her face again.  Afterwords, I felt kind of bad for her.  I mean, I don't know if she was some sort of drugged up serial killer or just a nervous lady down on her luck. Maybe she was just scouting to see if we had anything cool, or maybe she needed some food.  Should I have done something different?  How does a Christian balance compassion with personal safety? 

I am going to pray for wisdom, and I am going to keep a round chambered.

Books of 2010: Small is Beautiful

I finally finished a book that has been on my list for a year and on my desk for three months: “Small is Beautiful: Economics as if People Mattered,” by E.F. Schumacher, published in 1973.  In my sixth book of 2010 (I think--I’m starting to lose track), many good points were made, all to be ruined in by the last section. 

In the middle of the book, Schumacher talks about “metaphysical” issues, that is, morality and its foundation. He talks about the despair that modern man has fallen into because of a lack of “meaning.” He lists six ideas that have come from modern scientists and philosophers (evolution, survival of the fittest, the idea that higher art, etc. is nothing more than economics, Freudian psychology, relativism, and positivism), which he sums up as “morality is bunk.”  What is interesting is that all of these ideas were put forth by men who had a “mind well stocked with moral ideas” (had a good moral foundation), but after these ideas became mainstream “…all we got was bad metaphysics and appalling ethics.”  People replaced the good moral foundation of those men with the ideas of those men.  You may notice that this does not seem to have much to do with economics, and I agree.  However, this is some of the good stuff that made me think.

It was the last part of the book that ticked me off.  Schumacher tries to put forth socialism as a preferred method of organizing economics.  It went from good, thoughtful insights about modern society to a plug for socialism.  Threw me for a loop.  I disagree with nearly all of his justifications.  Mostly, he talks about how a free market turns into a tax loophole battle between the government and the wealthy that makes everyone else worse off.  He doesn’t seem to realize that that it isn’t just a free market that hurts the little people.  IT IS EVERY SOCIAL AND POLITCAL SYSTEM!  Though he mentions that he is a Christian in the book, he doesn’t seem to realize that this is a fallen world.  No system is going to work.  The only thing we can do is limit the amount of damage done by “the system.”  Socialism, which tries to regulate everything, is exactly opposite! 

Okay—sorry… off the soapbox.

So, in short, “Small is Beautiful” is an interesting read that covers such diverse topics as morality, economics, ecology and economy.  Some of the opinions in the book have been proven wrong by time, but some of them are still pressing issues.  Use your best judgment, and make wise choices.

And into the gun

This is my first foray into gun modification, if you want to call it that. Drop in parts, very simple.

Oh no. Where did they all come from? Will they all go back in? This is the most nerve wracking part--you pull out the pin and everything just falls out.

Oh good. It took all of my mad mechanical engineering skilz, but I got it done.

And back in the gun. Now I've got some fancy new parts in my little 10/22.  Hopefully it will still work the next time I shoot it...

Parts!

Can you guess what I got in the mail today?

 

Christian Music: the good and bad

This is why Christian music has a bad rap (WARNING: WATCHING THIS VIDEO COULD CAUSE SERIOUS LAUGHTER AND/OR TRAUMA.  YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED):



So terrible... as a Christian, I can say: good message, but...poor execution.  Poor lyrics, poor wardrobe, poor acting, poor musicianship, poor facial hair, poor dancing, poor audience.
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This is why there is hope:



As one reviewer put it: "'I'm living to shine on!' [the singer] proclaims. What that means in this context, I have no clue. But that was seriously awesome."

I think I just like the prog rock influence and the WWII vibe.

Anyway, I would just like to point out that you shouldn't write off something just because of one example.